MP Yaduveer releases first AI-translated full-length Kannada book ‘Nanna Hesaru Gauhar Jaan’

Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar released the Kannada edition of the acclaimed biography ‘Nanna Hesaru Gauhar Jaan,’ translated from historian Dr. Vikram Sampath’s work ‘My Name Is Gauhar Jaan: The Life and Times of a Musician.’ The book release function was held at the Jagannatha Centre for Art and Culture (JCAC) in Vijayanagar 1st Stage this morning.

Notably, the Kannada edition is the first full-length book translated using Bengaluru-based start-up NAAV AI’s TransLit technology, which significantly reduces human effort in editing and proofreading.

The event was co-sponsored by the Foundation for Indian Historical and Cultural Research (FIHCR). Linguist and Researcher at the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, Dr. Narayan Kumar Choudhary, attended as the chief guest. The Kannada edition has been published by Sahitya Prakashana, Hubballi.

The biography traces the life and times of Gauhar Jaan (1873-1930), the celebrated Hindustani classical musician from Calcutta who became the first woman in the Indian subcontinent to record her voice on a gramophone in 1902.

Though she achieved international fame, Gauhar Jaan’s later years were marked by financial and personal hardships. Her fortunes changed when Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar invited her to Mysore as a State Guest and provided her accommodation at a cottage named ‘Dil Khush’ in Chamundi Vihar. She passed away at K.R. Hospital on Jan. 17, 1930.

Reshaping historical research

Speaking on the occasion, Yaduveer highlighted the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in reshaping historical research and preserving India’s literary heritage.

“Gauhar Jaan spent the last two years of her life in Mysuru, where she was given patronage and shelter by Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. She endured immense hardships during a significant phase of her life, but transcended them through her art and remained completely devoted to music,” he said.

Addressing concerns surrounding AI, Yaduveer dismissed fears that the technology is a tool designed to control humanity or that it would threaten employment opportunities for translators and other professionals.

Author Dr. Vikram Sampath, translator Shrigouri Joshi, publisher Subramanya and former Principal of the National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Prof. G.L. Shekar, were among  those present.